Speaking about Allah and His religion without knowledge is worse than shirk -Ibn Qayyim

Speaking about Allah and His religion without knowledge is worse than shirk

By Shaykhul Islaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzeeyah may Allah have mercy on him

The shaykh, who died 751 AH, mentions this point of benefit in his book “Ilaam al-Muwaqqi’een” 1/38 wherein he says:

And indeed Allah -Glorified be He – prohibited speaking about Him without knowledge in giving fatwaa and issuing judicial rulings, and He made it from the greatest of the muharramaat (the prohibited matters). Rather, He placed it in the highest level from them. So He said- Ta’aala :

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘(But) indeed the things that my Lord has forbidden are al-Fawaahish (lewd, evil sins of every kind) whether committed openly or secretly, al-Ithm (sins of all kinds), ath-Thulm (unrighteous oppression), joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has sent down no authority for, and that you speak about Allah that which you have no knowledge of.'” [al-A’raaf: 33]

So He arranged the muharramaat in four levels, and He began with the least of them, and it is al-Fawaahish (lewd, evil sins of every kind) then secondly He followed with what is more severe than it in prohibition and it is al-Ithm (sins of all kinds) and ath-Thulm (unrighteous oppression), then mentioned thirdly what is greater than them in prohibition and it is shirk with Him. Then He followed fourthly with what is more severe in prohibition than all of that, and it is speaking about Him without knowledge. And this is general to speaking about Him without knowledge in His Asmaa’ was-Sifaat (Beautiful Names and Perfect Attributes) and His Af’aal (Actions), His Deen, and His Shar’ (legislation)…

“And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: This is lawful and this is forbidden, so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against Allah will never prosper.” [Surah Nahl: 116]

Allah poses a threat to those who lie on Him and His rulings. His statement are for those who say something is prohibited when Allah never prohibited it, and for those who make something permissible when Allah never permitted that thing.This is clear that it is not permissible for one to say that this is “halaal” or this is “haraam” except with knowledge that Allah indeed made such a thing halaal or haraam.